Final Reflection:

I think in doing this paper People, Places, Things and Events has really opened my eyes not just to technology but to also seeing the children in a different light. We talked – as an early childhood society, about following the children’s interests and building on these but how can we do this if we as educators don’t fully understand what we are teaching or put our own insecurities of not knowing onto the children. Just from reading my group members blogs I have come to understand that I have been encouraging and utilising technology within my practice and not even known – so as I commented on Morgan’s blog imagine what I can teach, foster and empower the children to know and gain skills in around technology now (Smorti, 1999).

I remember in my Politics class Jo Perry talking about legitimate knowledge – I can now relate this to technology as it is a topic the children grave to understand and use, I think that when using digital technology it needs to be used within context – to enhance children’s learning and development by incorporating it into their funds of knowledge (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett and Farmer, 2007).

Although I have completely changed my views, thoughts and beliefs around non-digital technology and feel it is a vital part of learning that should be embedded in all areas of learning for infants and toddlers, I am still reluctant to introduce digital technology – except for the camera, as I stated in Cheynne’s blog it is a valuable tool for their learning, within the centre environment and helps them re-visit learning and it is a way to share their learning in a non-verbal way with family (Ministry of Education, 1996). I found it interesting that my peer’s comments on my blog were all very similar as to their individual opinions on digital technology and how they feel so positively about the use of the camera in the centre setting. It would be amazing if we could have cameras specifically for the children’s use, but unfortunately this won’t happen. I still do not see the need for it in the lives of our youngest members of society; I do understand that they have exposure to digital technology at home; through ipads, laptops, and television, which is their parents’ right to do this. I know my views are impacted upon the childhood I had growing up and these life events have shaped me to become the teacher I am today, but is it such a bad thing to want those experiences for other children (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008).

I could really relate to the comment Cheynne posted on my blog by Smorti (1999, p. 9) Smorti states “as a learner, my ideas about technology are still developing, and I expect they will change as I continue to research and reflect on what is happening for educators and children as we explore technology in the early childhood curriculum”. I really see technology in a different light as all my peers have stated in their own blogs and in comments, I see the use of it everywhere even in my own day, and truly believe this is an area of knowledge I will pass on to my colleagues, it encompasses every aspect of Te Whāriki; strands and goals.

I recently asked my 15 year old step son if he had ever written a letter, his reply was no he had never bought a stamp or been to the post office. I wasn’t surprised but, is this a world we want for our children – a total dependence on devices?

I can’t help but wonder if societies focus on digital technology is creating a society of socially incompetent people – as there is not so much face to face time.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia:CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

Contribution to blogs....

Natalia’s blog

Reflection One: 

Reflection Two:

Reflection Three:

Cheynne’s blog

Reflection One:

Reflection Two:

Reflection Three:

Katy’s blog

Reflection One:

Reflection Two:

Reflection Three:

Morgan’s blog

Reflection One:

Reflection Two:

Reflection Three:

Say “cheese”........

Lately at work some of the children have shown an increased interest in the camera; when teachers are documenting the experiences and learning happening throughout the day. The children will often ask to look at the captured moment. I have even observed the children using some of the equipment to pretend to take photos of the other children and teachers, going up to them and saying “cheese”. One day I had been photographing a group of children drawing, one child “H” asked to look at every photo that had been captured, she even to my astonishment knew which button to push to make the photo appear on the screen. After a few more photos, I asked the child if she would like to take some photos, she beamed with a large smile and replied ‘yes’. To my amazement she hooked the cord over her wrist and walked up to her friend and pushed the large button – which takes the photo - and off she went capturing images as she walked outside. During her photographic adventure she would return to me if the camera stopped working – it was just a case of changing the batteries, and then off she went again. “H” took photos of everything, the teachers outside, her friends, abstract images, and play experiences, I was astounded at her knowledge of how the camera works; you need to hold it still and at the same time push the button to take the picture, and perseverance she continued with this experience for quite some time.

 I spoke to H’s mum at the end of the day and she explained that at home H uses the family camera often and has been exposed to it most of her life, from her dad always having a camera around.

This experience made me understand that digital technology is part of children’s (even very young children’s) daily lives and relates to Bronfenbrenner’s theory that children’s comprehension of how a camera works is very much influenced from their micro, exo and macro systems, (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2007) and that the children of this generation are digital narratives.

Although digital technology is part of children’s everyday lives, especially at home I still feel that for the infants and toddlers I work with some forms of digital technology are not necessary for children so young. These views and beliefs are forged from the experiences I had when I was a child – which involved spending time outdoors and not sitting in front of a screen, technology was not around when I was young. In saying this part of my personal philosophy of teaching is fostering children’s creativity – so why not incorporate digital technology; especially the camera, as a tool for children to use??

After watching the DVD in class the other day and doing some reading around cameras in the classroom I have come to acknowledge that the camera can be a fantastic piece of equipment to extend children’s learning and creativity, and it is also a tool in which non-verbal children can communicate Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa states “children develop non-verbal ways of expressing and communicating imaginative ideas” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.74). The camera can also be used for children to document and capture their own learning, by actively seeking what is interesting to them in aspects of experiences and then documenting it through a photograph – what better way to use a child-centred approach to their learning.

My views and thoughts around digital technology – especially the camera - have become even more firm, that the camera is such a fantastic piece of equipment for infants and toddlers to be exposed to and the learning can take them to where a human can’t. Using the camera builds on and helps develop many skills such as concentration, focus and motor skills and interweaves all the strands of Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

Construction in the sandpit

Throughout the month of March our planning at the centre was focused around construction - which I found linked in to what I was learning at Uni around technology, and what consisted of being technological. As one of my planned experiences I thought about how I could incorporate technology into an outdoor set up based around the children’s interests and needs, “the provision by the adult of a meaningful context in which children could solve technological problems” (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009, p. 377). I was curious to see how the age group I worked with (infants and toddlers) used technology and to what extent. I created a set up in the sandpit with diggers, ploughs, bulldozers and trucks, then arranged a variety of different sized wooden blocks into structures, and I ensured the sand was nice and wet so it would be easier for the children to manipulate and sculpt.

I stood back and watched the children experiment with the blocks and create different structures, it was fascinating to observe how some children problem-solved to get their structures to stand; one child laid her blocks down vertically and used that as the foundation to build on – which resulted in the blocks not falling over. Another child used a schema and laid them side by side in a line, placing similar sized block together; I noticed that this was her developing mathematical awareness.  The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 32) states “adaption and innovation are at the heart of technological practice” and I witnessed this through the way the children each used the blocks; all in a varied way. The idea of providing this experience was for it to be child-centred, in that each and every child could build on their developing problem solving skills, which contributes to their well-being, self perception and understanding of their own capability (Ministry of Education, 1996).

Since doing some reading based around the topic of technology I was amazed to find that the experience I had implemented was firmly based around technology and using technology to enhance the children’s learning. Smorti (1999, p.5) states “technology is about solving problems......and is a creative and purposeful activity”. I have also found that most of the readings all talk about the importance of implementing technology into the early childhood setting (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2007) which at first I was reluctant to believe, I still couldn’t get past why it was so important for infants and toddlers to be in an environment that focused on technology.

The more I reflect and think about technology - specifically non-digital technology - I see it in every aspect of the children’s day and that we as educators encourage technological thinking, without even thinking or understanding that we are doing it, technology is in every part of a child’s day and Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa states this within each of the strands (Ministry of Education, 1999).

I have altered my thinking as now I actually understand about non-digital technology, I think it is easy to put up a barrier when as humans we don’t understand something, it is a way of protecting our pride. But as a teacher in training who wants to provide the best experiences for the children I work with I comprehend that I can’t think like this anymore – it’s not about me and I what I want, it’s about what skills, understanding and knowledge the children require and disserve. So in saying this I will be more open-minded and continue to read and research around this topic to give myself the depth of knowledge I need, to then give back to the children.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

Creating a vegetable garden

I started a vegetable garden, as a project with the infants and toddlers I work with, my goal for this project was to help the children develop an understanding of where produce comes from; the ground and not just the supermarket or green grocer. I now have an understanding that using a technological process approach to creating our vegetable garden has fostered children’s’ holistic development. The infants and toddlers are using skills in “a purposeful activity” (Smorti, 1999, p.6) to build on the foundations of knowledge and learning they already have. Another technological dimension to creating the vegetable garden was the use of tools for digging; spades of various sizes and shapes, and including the children’s own hands, watering cans and the hose, and careful judgement with watering the plants, also stakes to support beans and peas. The children and I also worked through the steps to planting a plant; before the plant goes into the ground we need to dig a hole for the plant to sit in, then surround the plant with dirt and carefully using our hands pat down the earth around the plant – this step took a lot of scaffolding on my part, but after a few attempts the children had problem solved and had it all figured out.

Once the plant is in the ground it then carefully needs to be watered; as we only had a couple of watering cans I was amazed to observe the children problem solve and utilise different vessels to collect water in.

When I hear the word ‘technology’ I instantly put up a mental block as to how this relates to the infants and toddlers I work with? The children are very young and learn and develop through active exploration, so I can’t’ help but wonder how technology fits into this??

 Smorti defined “technology is about helping people and solving problems” (1999, p.5) this definition is something I can relate to the children I work with and the vegetable gardening project, as the children’s day mostly involves trying and testing and solving problems no matter how big or small they are using forms of technology to gain understanding of how their world works (Ministry of Education, 1996). I believe non-digital technology is vital to the infants and toddlers I work with, as hands –on experience combined with problem solving has a more positive effect and impact on their learning to be competent, self motivated learners and seekers of knowledge (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett and Farmer, 2008).

I can’t help but feel that if children are constantly provided with technological tools to solve problems, they will loose the ability to think creatively and improvise. I understand that my thinking is ‘old school’ but its how I feel about the subject, I think as a society we are loosing the skills of our for-fathers and the good old ‘kiwi ingenuity’.

I have found since reading Smorti (1999) that my beliefs, view and most of all understanding about what technology actually is; especially non-digital technology has changed dramatically and done an almost 90 degree shift. I found my beliefs interesting as I have always been interested in science and the process involved in science, so why was I so reluctant to embrace this “technology system” (Smorti, 1999, p.6). I am aware of the differences between the two topics Smorti describes “technology as the creative and productive aspect of problem-solving” (1999, p.6). I had this shift in understanding from doing reading and research about the topic and opening my eyes to actually witness during my practice just how much technology encompasses every part of the children’s days.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.